Turkey Talk for 2014

[Arielle]

Any heritage breed like the Narraganset make awesome backyard pets are quite broody and good mothers.

very cute avatar!!

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

Thanks guys. I think I see a few turkeys on my order list for the spring.

 

[fintuckyfarms]

Did you know that all the heritage varieties came from the Narraganset. We had a small flock of six and had many royal palms from the natural parings. You just need to check with the breeder if their line breeds true or has variations.

 

[conny63malies]

I am getting my first turkeys this year. Ideal emailed me that our turkeys will be hatched and shipped 4/30. We ordered 10 bourbon reds. I will keep three females and a male and the rest will go freezer camping in the fall. I still have to move and build their coop so i'll be around here sometimes

 

[chirkey]

Hi, I bought a dud male turkey 2 months ago. He is suposidly 1 year old but he does not gobble, does not have a weird floppy nose thing OR a teletubby head doo dad (i was thinking they actually sold me a hen instead) he has puffy eyes, facial hair and carnucles? On his neck. We bought another younger male and he looks completely different, he's huge, has the nose thing (oh is it called a snood?) Gobbles, his faces changes colour with mood and his eyes are wide and creepy (normal lol) I also checked the dud turkey over and I swear he has tumours, unless lumps on their upper thighs by their wings is normal??? I contacted the lady who I bought him off.... she hasn't returned my email. I love chad, dont want to put him down and he is eating and drinking fine, but do you know what sex he is and if he will be okay left alive? Please excuse my terminologies. I hope you get what I mean with the face thingies.

 

[Arielle]

Hi, I bought a dud male turkey 2 months ago. He is suposidly 1 year old but he does not gobble, does not have a weird floppy nose thing OR a teletubby head doo dad (i was thinking they actually sold me a hen instead) he has puffy eyes, facial hair and carnucles? On his neck. We bought another younger male and he looks completely different, he's huge, has the nose thing (oh is it called a snood?) Gobbles, his faces changes colour with mood and his eyes are wide and creepy (normal lol) I also checked the dud turkey over and I swear he has tumours, unless lumps on their upper thighs by their wings is normal??? I contacted the lady who I bought him off.... she hasn't returned my email. I love chad, dont want to put him down and he is eating and drinking fine, but do you know what sex he is and if he will be okay left alive? Please excuse my terminologies. I hope you get what I mean with the face thingies.

We are all learning. Hopefully some one with a bit of experience can help you. I know the snood can be removed to prevent injuries in groupsp the lumps have me concerned. ALL my males talk in unison as soon as I finish talking. So that yours doesn't gobble has me worried. Even a girl has a snood, so perhaps he is not feeling his best. IDK.

 

[chirkey]

Oh and my new turkey keeps trying to have sex with my duck. Will it kill the duck? We are just finishing the new enclosure and hoping to have it finished tomorrow. But I think this farm is cursed , my sheep ran away and we cannot catch them, my other duck flew away, my turkey hen got attaked by a dog, the duckling drowned and chad the other turkey is a mystery. The psycho rooster that always bites me is fine though sigh. Having a farm will be fun they said.....lol drinking and telly is fine with me haha

 

[Arielle]

Running a farm can be fun a times-- but mostly it is work. Depends on wether or not you enjoy that kind of work.

Sheep -- did you raise them, or buy them? Try to bond with the lambs. Those that bond to me tend to come toward me. Havig a feed bucket should bring in the sheep. Does that work??

Good fencing is valuable. Very valuable. Dogs are a curse. Keeping out domestic dog is a trial. Again a function of fencing.

Biting roosters need replacing at some point; sorry the duck drown-- how is the pool designed? Easy access with sloping sides?? Ducks often need special care to nip off the end of the wing to prevent flight. Or penned with a top.

You might just need a bit more experience on management to ease the situation.

 

[chirkey]

Running a farm can be fun a times-- but mostly it is work. Depends on wether or not you enjoy that kind of work. 

Sheep -- did you raise them, or buy them? Try to bond with the lambs. Those that bond to me tend to come toward me.  Havig a feed bucket should bring in the sheep. Does that work??

Good fencing is valuable. Very valuable. Dogs are a curse. Keeping out domestic dog is a trial. Again a function of fencing. 

Biting roosters need replacing at some point; sorry the duck drown-- how is the pool designed? Easy access with sloping sides?? Ducks often need special care to nip off the end of the wing to prevent flight. Or penned with a top. 

You might just need a bit more experience on management to ease the situation. 

Hey, the work is fine. Its just when you miss the slightest thing it can all turn to poo. The sheep were lambs, had them for a week then they found a hole in the fence we missed. We clip our birds wings but the guy who we bought the duck off said she didn't really fly so we left her (our stupid mistake) and we have a full bath tub with logs around it for our ducks, she was 1 month old and we saw her brother jump out so thought it would be fine. It just makes me feel like crap because I'm a vet nurse. I guess I'll keep trying but don't want to lose anymore animals. Why does my rooster bite me? He's a bantam and the size of a fat blackbird, he will let me pick him up and pat him though?? He only does it to me and boy it hurts

 

[SilkieSensation]

Hello all, I was thinking about raising Turkeys this year. How difficult is it to dispatch and process them if I get extras? I'm used to processing my muscovy ducks and chickens.

I have a large canning pot-- the cornish X fit in it easily, and the heritage turkeys take a few more dunks to cover all the bird. Managing a heavier bird can be a challenge, but well worth a nice turkey roast. The BBW I take to a licensed processor for $10 each.

Okay, here's my stupid question of the day, Lol. I want beautiful turkeys that are as interesting and fun to watch as my chickens but that won't get uber huge. I have a small oven.. what do y'all recomend?

Depends on what you mean by a small oven.  Most of the heritage breeds are much smaller than the BBW in the market-- also depends on what age you process them.  My med sized heritage types that free range and walk around rather than stand and have grain poured into them  finished at 14# dressed at about 9 months. IF I let them grow older, they get bigger. 

Many of the smaller turkeys do not stay at the desired small size- I have been reading that they need heavy selection to stay small-- so be sure to buy from someone who can verify the adult size and not just quote the breed standard.  Or just butcher at the desired size. 

 

 
We are hunkered down for a miserable winter here-- below freezing with the wind chill, and 7 inches of snow-- don't expect my hens to be laying any time soon until the lights go on!!

So sorry it is so cold and your getting all the snow.... 
Hopefully you will get an early spring! 

It was about 0 degrees here lastnight-- wickedly cold for this location. A few days here and there of 10-15 is normal; the average low is about 20-25.  Lots of chicken soup on the stove!! 

Here is the bbw hen I did for Thanksgiving this year & how we solved the problem of not having a pot big enough.

Yep, we stuffed her in the bathtub...lol No worries. We bleached it before & after.

Running a farm can be fun a times-- but mostly it is work. Depends on wether or not you enjoy that kind of work. 

Sheep -- did you raise them, or buy them? Try to bond with the lambs. Those that bond to me tend to come toward me.  Havig a feed bucket should bring in the sheep. Does that work??

Good fencing is valuable. Very valuable. Dogs are a curse. Keeping out domestic dog is a trial. Again a function of fencing. 

Biting roosters need replacing at some point; sorry the duck drown-- how is the pool designed? Easy access with sloping sides?? Ducks often need special care to nip off the end of the wing to prevent flight. Or penned with a top. 

You might just need a bit more experience on management to ease the situation. 

Hey, the work is fine. Its just when you miss the slightest thing it can all turn to poo. The sheep were lambs, had them for a week then they found a hole in the fence we missed. We clip our birds wings but the guy who we bought the duck off said she didn't really fly so we left her (our stupid mistake) and we have a full bath tub with logs around it for our ducks, she was 1 month old and we saw her brother jump out so thought it would be fine. It just makes me feel like crap because I'm a vet nurse. I guess I'll keep trying but don't want to lose anymore animals. Why does my rooster bite me? He's a bantam and the size of a fat blackbird, he will let me pick him up and pat him though?? He only does it to me and boy it hurts

I had a banty roo like that. If you were looking at him you could walk right over & pick him up. If you turned your back & ignored him he would attack the back of your legs. He got rehomed with a warning of what he did. The large fowl roo we got with him was downright mean. Got tired of getting bit so we ate him. I won't keep a mean bird. It's 1 thing if they are protecting their flock. I have 1 roo who flaps at my son if a hen squawks when he tries to pick her up but he has never attacked. The ssame roo will come running if I make a hen squawk but stops as soon as he sees it's me. I'm the head of the flock & he respects that. He knows my son is lower in the pecking order & can be cowed by flapping without hurting him...lol